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What we know regarding mid-major conference realignment: The Mountain West and Conference USA are partnering up, the Sun Belt is looking to expand while warding off MOUNT USA, and the WAC is better left unmentioned, out of respect for the nearly deceased.

On Tuesday, the indispensable Jon Wilner of the Mercury News dropped off a whole shed full of knowledge bombs regarding what comes next for the four relevant conferences.

Confirming parts of earlier reports, Wilner says Fla. International, Louisiana Tech, North Texas, San Jose St., Texas-San Antonio and Utah State are up for MOUNT USA consideration. As for what happens to the hypothetically gutted Sun Belt and WAC, Wilner cites the possibility of the two conferences merging. Charlotte has a Sun Belt invite, he also reports.

MOUNT USA hopes to expand from 16 teams to something like 24 teams. If they add anything short of eight schools, there will be loud scorn and derision. If they come up with a name that isn't MOUNT USA, there will be the same.

If the Belt does lose FIU and North Texas to the Mount USA Conference and are seriously considering adding Charlotte, then we might as well think about App State, GA State, GA Southern and try to move in that direction to be a true South East Region.

Our new Commish best keep his head in the game as we don't want to be the next WAC in D-1 football.....

My experience with the Mercury News (San Jose) is that they smoke some weird stuff in that neck of the woods of Cali, and they tend to be not so reliable.

I find it hard to accept this guy has been in contact with anyone in the Sunbelt to confirm any of this stuff, and I would wager he'd have a difficult time naming half the Sunbelt teams even if he's given those he already listed.

Beer was the only thing that kept fans in the stands that night in what was the most pitiful excuse for a stadium....lol......there are high schools in Alabama that wouldn't play in that place.....what a dump

Beer was the only thing that kept fans in the stands that night in what was the most pitiful excuse for a stadium....lol......there are high schools in Alabama that wouldn't play in that place.....what a dump

Charlotte, Texas-San Antonio 'leading candidates' for Sun Belt

The University of Charlotte and Texas-San Antonio have had discussions with the Sun Belt and are “leading candidates” to join the league, sources told CBSSports.com.

One source said both schools have received “informal invitations” to join the Sun Belt, but another source said talks had not progressed that far. Either way, the schools have had discussions with the Sun Belt and could join the league as early as the 2013-14 academic year.

Charlotte, which will start football in 2013, would be leaving the Atlantic 10, where its Olympic sports have competed since 2005. Texas-San Antonio, which just completed its first football season, is joining the WAC on July 1, but would consider a move to the Sun Belt.

Since 2005, Charlotte's Olympic sports have been in the Atlantic 10. The 49ers are starting up a football program in 2013 and will compete as an FCS independent for at least two seasons. The earliest the 49ers could make the move to the FBS level and compete as a Sun Belt football member would be 2015.

Charlotte is a former member of the Sun Belt. The 49ers were in the league from 1976-91 before moving to the Metro Conference (1991-95) and Conference USA (1995-2005) and then the Atlantic 10 in 2005.

If Charlotte opts for the Sun Belt, the 49ers would be the second recent school to leave the Atlantic 10. Last week, Temple announced its Olympic sports were leaving the A-10 to join the Big East in 2013.

Since 1991, Texas San-Antonio's Olympic sports have competed in the Southland Conference, but the Roadrunners are scheduled to join the WAC on July 1.

The Roadrunners just completed their first year of football under former Miami coach Larry Coker.

Texas-San Antonio is viewed as an attractive member for the Sun Belt because of UTSA's location and, more importantly, the Roadrunners' record-setting attendance numbers in their first season. UTSA set the NCAA record for a first-year program, averaging 35,521 fans, including 56,743 in its inaugural game.

For the 2012 season, the Sun Belt will have 10 football members: Arkansas State, Florida Atlantic, Florida International, Louisiana-Monroe, Louisiana-Lafayette, Middle Tennessee, North Texas, South Alabama, Troy and Western Kentucky.

If the Sun Belt adds Charlotte and UTSA, the league conceivably would have 12 football members by 2015.

But the number likely could change. Sun Belt members Florida International, Florida Atlantic and North Texas are among 11 schools that have been in contact or has been contacted by the Mountain West or Conference USA about joining the new MWC/C-USA league, sources told CBSSports.com.

Charlotte and Texas-San Antonio also are among those schools that have had discussions about joining the new MWC/C-USA league.

Hey guys, ULM fan popping over to see what's going on in your neck of the woods. I was against adding UNC-Charlotte at first, until I got to talking to my cousin in law (a recent Univ. of Arkansas grad). He knows about strong athletics support from his time at UA, and said a few interesting things about the move.

First of all, he said his full financial backing would be going to UNC-Charlotte where he got his first degree, and that he had been seeing a growing, high level of excitement about the move to FBS football in the near future (which equates to financial backing, ideally). The guy is from Bogota, so he isn't a die-hard fan of 'American' football like many of us are, but basically said he understands that here in the U.S., football is what gets schools talked about/noticed which is why he's excited about the possibility. Also, UNCC has an enrollment of somewhere over 25,000 and is expected to be the largest university in North Carolina within a few years which would hopefully also translate into more donations/support.

Georgia State, I don't really know that much about. You guys are closer to Georgia over there, do you think that was a good addition?

Georgia State, I don't really know that much about. You guys are closer to Georgia over there, do you think that was a good addition?

I think that Georgia State was a great addition. Atlanta has one of the top media markets in the country. Georgia is a recruiting hot bed of high school talent. Ga State drew over 30,000 fans in the first ever football game. They drew more than the Atlanta Braves that same day. They also have great basketball and baseball programs. UNC-C is growing school similar to Ga State. Actually, UNC-C was a founding member of the Sun Belt just like Ga State. It would be nice if we could get them back in the SBC.